It is the 1880s in the american southwest. into the lawless and isolated cowtown of deadstop, a fief of brodrick franklin, a cattle baron to exemplify that legendary breed beyond redemption, comes a stranger: pennsylvanian schoolteacher margaret kruger. by cold-hearted subterfuge the childless brod franklin coerces the german-irish girl to enter into a liaison with him and give him a son for 20,000 dollars in gold -only to be hoist on his own petard when for the first time in his life he falls hopelessly in love, a love that is in no way reciprocated. all this while a criminal brother-in- law connives by murder and threat to win control of the mighty franklin spread as a new spur of railroad inches its way towards town across the arid salt flats. there are battles aplenty -in the boudoir, the saloon, in the town and the prairie itself, until right is established and a new dynasty at hacienda sets down its roots as at last civilization seeps into deadstop.